“The only constant in life is change” Heraclitus

The past 22 months since the global pandemic started, have seen us all face unprecedented change.  This without question, causes some people to thrive and forces other people into a cycle of pure survival.

It’s true that leaders need to be more agile than ever and this ability to adapt and thrive in the face of change sets good leaders apart from great leaders.

But how do you learn and develop this adaptability muscle?

It takes increased levels of resilience, emotional flexibility and of course supporting those around you too as they take their time to transition through the change curve too.

We recommend taking the following steps, as a leader:

1.     Focus on Wellness – Both self and staff 

2.     Find and define your Purpose – Both Self and Company 

3.     Experience situations via the lens of Adaptability – Under pressure your body’s response will naturally automate to something you have done before to survive.  Break the patterns, just because you survived it doesn’t mean it was the best approach.  Instead pause and think about how you can thrive not just survive.

4.     Building deeper connections – deep connections support growth, be fully present in conversations and don’t move team or individual staff catch ups for something more pressing.  

5.     Challenge unhealthy peace – teams thrive when they feel safe to speak up and make mistakes.  Make it normal to fail forward and encourage your team to voice their opinion.

6.     Be thankful – express your thanks for your teams work and commitment.

7.     Keep learning – Challenge yourself and your team to learn something new regularly.

8.     Coach team members to also support each other.

As we enter the next era of change, as we potentially move back to working in the office again, it’s so important to understand that everyone adapts to this change at different speeds.

We can as leaders ensure we communicate clearly and well in advance, what plans are going to occur in this space and why we will be implementing these changes so that people have time to buy into them and adapt.